Chapter Text
The building was a dark blot on a bright day. Squat and squarish, it was as if an unsteady hand had drawn the blueprints, and no one had cared enough to fix it. The wood was cracked with age, the old bricks heavily discoloured, and their unhappy union turning away anyone walking by. The windows, dusty and dark, were tightly shuttered to keep out sunlight and the winter wind. Muffled creaking was heard with every step taken indoors, the sound bounding around the shop like a dying dog. As one got closer, the snow on the ground would get dirtier and dirtier. Were it not for the hanged sign outside, no one would have hesitated to call the place abandoned.
It was the only clean and colored part of the building. In a needlessly extravagant script, “ANTIQUES SHOP” was written, bright and clear so everyone could see. The discordance made one wonder whether the ugly building was simply a poor attempt at making the sign more striking to the eye.
Inside the dreary walls and on the second floor, sat an old man in his pajamas, balancing the books of his business. He was the owner of the shop, an antiques dealer who didn’t care much for how people came by the items they wanted to sell him. As long as he got what he considered a fair exchange, he was content. Content he was too to stay in today, away from singing crowds and colorful decorations. The only thing on his mind was how much money he had made the past week.
Below him and at the front door, his servant girl was eagerly leaving. Unlike her employer, she wasn’t content to stay inside, especially not on Christmas of all days. Wearing the most flattering clothes a servant’s salary could buy, and cheeks blushing with affection, she left the shop to make her way across town.
And finally, walking slowly towards the shop was him . The man of the hour. Filled with ill intentions and self-doubt, he was a prime example of human damnation. A man whose life has chipped away any unnecessary virtues. Goodness, kindness, morality? Please. Here was a man who came to make a decision, to benefit no one but himself . Here was a man who sinners were waiting to welcome with open arms!
Here was a man, who came to murder .
And his name was Markheim.